Sunday, 3 February 2013

Gizmo - http://gizmo.web.id has posted a new item, 'Essential Home Exercise
Equipment Under $100'

A great deal of my personal training happens at clients homes. As part of my
interview process with a new personal training client I always inquire about
fitness equipment available at their house. Most common pieces of fitness gear
my clients have are swiss balls and a pair of very light weight dumbbells.
Obviously, this is not enough, as my training involves a variety, but basic
exercise equipment.
Since most of my clients do not have the space to fill their homes with big
bulky and expensive machines, I always recommend the following exercise
equipment. My clients will have all the gear they need to meet their fitness
goals without cluttering up their homes or apartments, or breaking the bank.
Swiss Ball: $20

Swiss balls or sometime known as stability balls are a staple item of all types
of gyms. This is a great replacement for a dedicated bench. You can use it for a
variety of exercise programs, including weight training, stability training,
mobility training, hiit and stretching. You can find them almost anywhere.
Online retailer Amazon has the best pricing Ive seen. Depending the size you
need, you can get a good quality stability ball between $10-$30. But I got my
swiss ball at a local sporting store for $20.
Kettlebell: $20

Kettlebells are probably the best piece of fitness equipment youll ever own.
Great for functional training and strength building as most of kettlebell
exercises easily work multiple muscle groups at once. A kettlebell can eat up
most of your $100 budget, but if you shop around on classifieds such as Kijiji
and Craigslist you can find great deals. Start with low weight until youre
comfortable and have mastered a few basic movements. I have a 45lb kettlebell
that cost me $45, and that was already discounted from $90. I also got much
lighter kettlebells for use with beginners. The starting weight I recommend is
15lbs or so. And you can easily find a 15lb kettlebell for $20.
Dumbbells: $20

Everyone knows what these are. Get a pair, or a few. Whatever your budget
allows. There are tonne of exercises and workouts we can do with these. Shop
around as prices can vary greatly from $0.90/lb to well over $2.00. Once again,
go onto your local classifieds and youll find amazing deals on both new and used
dumbbells.
Weighted Medicine Ball: $20

A weighted medicine ball is just a heavy ball. It closely resembles a basketball
and comes in a variety of weights and diameter. Some retailers over price them.
Wait for them to go on sale or look around for less known sporting goods store
for better prices. A good starting weight would be 6lbs which you can easily
find for $20. Medicine balls are great for adding resistance to dynamic
exercises and workouts.
Bands: $15

Another great piece of equipment for the home gym. Elastic rubber bands come in
different tensions and lengths. You can usually buy a set with each band being a
different tension for around $15-$20. This is one of my default go to pieces of
equipment when I visit clients homes for the first time and they do not have all
necessary equipment to start with.
Speed Rope: $3

$3 for a jump rope? Yes, $3. I used to buy the expensive kinds for around $20
and they would often break, until I discovered a simple speed rope, aka,
skipping rope, for a mere $3. The best part? It lasted me for about four years
now. Its the best $3 Ive ever spent on a fitness equipment and I use it during
every workout. I even wrote a blog post on why you should skip during your
workout. You can find a true jump rope at your sporting goods store that
supplies sports gear to schools and teams. You can get $3 skip rope at Merchants
in Toronto.
Interval Timing App: Free (or $5)

Got a smart phone? Download an interval timer app. There are many of them out
there, so it will come down to a matter of personal preference. I use Interval
timers for Tabata and other HIIT workouts. My favourite app to use is Seconds
Pro. Theres a free version, but I liked enough to fork-out $5.
This is essentially all the home gym equipment you need to get started. You dont
need fancy machines that only drain your bank account and take up space.